New Testament Ethics
New Testament Ethics, Cherryl Hunt, Nicholas J. Moore, and Timothy J. Murray, editors, foreword by Luke Timothy Johnson. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802884503) 2026.
Summary: Critical and constructive essays discussing Richard B. Hays “The Moral Vision of the New Testament” thirty years later.
Thirty years ago, Richard B. Hays published his landmark book, The Moral Vision of the New Testament (reviewed at https://bobonbooks.com/2026/07/28/review-the-moral-vision-of-the-new-testament/). Quoting from my review:
What Hays does in this book is establish a methodology of moving from the texts of the New Testament to applications to contemporary issues. He follows a four step process. He begins with describing the moral witness of the New Testament texts. Then, he synthesizes that material into three focal images he argues are foundational to New Testament ethics. From here, he engages the hermeneutical or interpretive task, drawing upon text as the “norming norm” but also weighing church tradition, reason, and experience. Finally, he addresses the pragmatic task of using this framework to address five “test cases” which vary in terms of the amount of textual material available.
In this book, a wide array of scholars engage Hays’ work thirty years later. Sadly, Richard Hays passed away in 2025, before this work’s publication. However, it honors his scholarship in the best way possible, carrying the conversation he began forward. The book is organized into three parts after an introductory essay by the editors.
Part 1: Hermeneutics: Approaching New Testament Ethics
This part addresses the methodological questions arising from Hays’ proposal. Andrew Cowan challenges Hays’ emphasis on narrative, asserting that other New Testament genres contribute paradigms for ethical decision making. Likewise, Andrew Goddard challenges his ideas about narrative, but from the perspective that scripture might better be understood as drama. Miles Tradewell focus upon, affirms, and extends Hays’ work on metaphor, incorporating recent scholarship.
Channing Crisler addresses Hays’ three focal images of community, cross, and new creation, proposing justification as a fourth. While justification is an important New Testament theme, I was not convinced that it spans the full New Testament corpus. Finally, Walter Moberly compares Moral Vision with The Widening of God’s Mercy, describing what changed for Richard in his views about LGBTQ sexuality. He observes that Hays does not change his reading of the texts but sets them within a widening trajectory of God’s mercy. He also notes the distinctive contributions of his son, Christopher.
Part 2: Exegesis: Mapping New Testament Ethics
The contributors in this section focus on the description of the contribution of particular texts or authors to New Testament ethics. The ethics of material possessions in Luke’s gospel is the focus of Carl-Magnus Carlstein and Rebekah Eklund. Specificallly, this advances Hays’ work in addressing at length a topic hays only briefly touched on in his conclusion. Then Kai Akagi considers the role of the fear of the Lord in moral motivation as it appears in Acts.
Richard B. Hays noted the inclusive focus of love in John’s Gospel. However, Elizabeth Corsar takes exception to that, arguing for a strong connection between love and mission, and that this is consistent with the rest of the New Testament. She considers it to be another focal image. Andrew Boakye explores the connection of the resurrection to ethics, arguing it is foundational to human equity. Finally, Amy Peeler discusses the theme of patient endurance in Hebrews and how it relates to his three focal images. She also suggests a fourth focal image, that of covenant. Given that Hays did not discuss Hebrews in his work, this essay makes a signal contribution.
Part 3: Themes: Practicing New Testament Ethics
The essays in this section focus on Hays’ “pragmatic” task, taking specific issues, offering examples of using the New Testament in ethical discernment. Annalisa Phillips Wilson discusses sex and celibacy in light of 1 Corinthians 7, avoiding either simplistic valorizing of marriage or exalting celibacy. Likewise, Elizabeth Hare and Nicholas Moore focus on relationality in Luke-Acts against the global health crisis of loneliness. They examine the narratives of Zacchaeus, Aquila and priscilla, and Apollos.
Yung Suk Kim takes Hays discussion of ethnic conflict further, looking at Paul’s body metaphor. Then Cherryl Hunt applies Hays’ methodology to the ecological crisis. Her essay underscored how little material in the New Testament directly addresses this theme, compared to the Old Testament. She gets at this by radically reinterpreting Hays’ focal images, extending them to the whole creation. Finally, John Barclay concludes in what is perhaps the most challenging of the essay in addressing wealth, and the New Testament warnings of its dangers.
Concluding Comments
I thought this volume a fitting tribute to Hays. Many of the essays emphasized the enduring value of his methodological framework as well as his focal images. I particularly appreciated the extension of his work on the topics of wealth and possessions, especially John Barclay’s concluding essay. Likewise, Hays did not utilize the full New Testament canon in his original work and so Amy Peeler’s work on Hebrews and the idea of patient endurance most helpful. And Kai Akagi and his essay on the fear of the Lord in Acts and its OT resonances of great value. I think, were Hays have been able to write an afterword, as was planned, he would have been deeply appreciative of both the critical and constructive work of these essays.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.
